Portion Size

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Don't skip meals

If you're starving, you're more likely to eat an extra-large portion. For most people, the best plan is to eat three well-designed meals and one snack.

Limit portions, lose weight

Limiting portions can help you lose weight and ultimately prevent complications.  A 2004 study of 329 overweight people found that 38% of those who practiced portion control for two years lost 5% or more of body weight, compared with 33% of participants who did not (they gained 5% or more of body weight).

Why portion control matters

When you have type 2 diabetes, you need to gauge portion sizes correctly, so you know how many calories and carbohydrates you're taking in and how they will affect your blood sugar.   Learning what a portion size actually is—and eating that amount—is tricky.  People are notoriously bad at estimating what, say, a cup of breakfast cereal looks like.

Measure & weigh food

Get out those  measuring cups!

Know your "rules of thumb“

Use portion-control plates

What are they? These are handy plates with painted lines (or just smaller plates in general) that help measure carbohydrates, proteins, cheese, and sauces.  In a June 2007 study, researchers at the University of Calgary randomly assigned 130 people with type 2 diabetes to use those plates or regular ones.   Overall, 17% of those who used the plate lost 5% or more of their body weight, while only 4.6% of the control group did; 26% of those who used the plate were able to cut back on diabetes medication (because they lost more weight), compared with 11% of people who did not use the plate.